Adding this to my THWEE post in case anyone would like to know more about my guys before promoting. This is not necessary!! Only for those who would like to.
Ashvalla - Kalian (pre and post DAI) - Rowan
Ashvalla Lavellan - Spirit-Possessed Mage
Hair: Blonde and wavy, down to her waist pre-Haven, and cut to her shoulders with the intent to regrow post-Haven
Skin: White, dot-like scars around her mouth from getting her lips sewn shut, and burn scars up her left side (leg, hips/stomach, arm, shoulder, neck, and a bit of her cheek)
Body type: Curvy and plump, plus size, her boobs are a character of their own—she’d need a custom bra irl probably
Class: Mage—Ice primarily pre-adamant/spirit reveal, and pyromancy post-that
Family: Mirae (Rae) Lavellan - Younger sister and the Inquisitor
Personality: Sassy, flirty, projecting an air of confidence she does not believe. Her internal thoughts are pretty negative towards herself (in personality, not looks) and stem from her bad relationship with her mom. Cullen, during a fight, describes her as stubborn, vexing, unpredictable, quick to anger, and irritatingly independent. But outside of a fight he’d say she was kind in a sneaky way like she doesn’t want anyone to know, she holds an unknowable capacity for love and feels it very deeply, and she is sharp witted.
Love Interest: Cullen (flirty to friends to friends with benefits to lovers to exes to lovers again)
Classic eldest daughter syndrome since her mom favoured Rae (her sister) over her, and never properly loved Ash - always blaming her for small mistakes, saying that Ash had done it on purpose. Ash developed some hardcore people-pleasing tendencies as a result.
Their clan was attacked by slavers trying to steal children to sell to Tevinter, their parents were killed, but right before her mother died, she made Ash swear an unbreakable oath that she’d protect Rae at all costs. Rae and Ash, along with some of the other clan children, were taken, and when they discovered Ash was a mage (she tried to burn them to little success since she’d only recently gotten her powers), they bound her and sewed her lips closed a-La-Qunari. She now has little dot scars around her lips since they got infected, and they used some laces from one of the men’s breeches.
When they tried to separate Ash and Rae, Ash panicked and prayed to anything that would listen for help. A spirit of Love came to her and offered to save them if Ash allowed it to possess her, and it could experience mortal love through Ash. Ash agreed, and she blacked out. When she came too, all the slavers had been charred and burned to a crisp.
The clan found the children hours later, all huddled together, Ash’s still lips sewn shut. Ash didn’t use her fire magic for anything but mild heat after that, even though it was her natural affinity, and she developed ice magic.
Ash became the First to the Keeper, but it was Rae who was sent to the Conclave. Determined to protect her sister, Ash left to join the inquisition as soon as she got word that Rae was alive. At that time, Ash was ignoring Love and had told no one of her possession.
Joins a bit prior to Redcliffe, Rae leaves her behind until they go to free the mages
Immediately does not get along with Solas, but he reveals that he knows she is possessed. Varric knows too due to her freak out when Alexius sent Rae to the future and he recognized the signs (Anders trauma)
Starts flirting with Cullen but thinks nothing can or will come of it
Pushes Rae out of the way of Corypheus’s ‘Archdemon’ and gets severe burns on the left side of her body
Get a lung infection during her recovery in the mountains around Haven
Takes several months to recover in Skyhold, goes from crutch to cane while walking with someone, to regular walking and training again
Gets closer with Cullen during this time as she visits his office, largely to pester him in her boredom but he gives her work to do
When fully healed, she challenges him to a duel, and wins because she moaned in his ear as a distraction. They fuck later, since Cullen knows that she is at least pretending not to want the emotional piece, but they gotta break the tension. She leaves before he can wake up
They keep being FWB until Cullen won’t let her run away, they have a confrontation, and he gets her to admit her feelings and agree to try
Clan Lavellan dies, and Rae stops speaking to Ash until they have a big fight about it, and Rae releases her from her unbreakable promise
At Adamant, Rae leaves Ash behind with the rest of the inquisition cause they are still fighting, but when Ash hears that Rae is in the Fade, Love and her merge to break into it, revealing that she is possessed
Cullen and Ash fight about it, and break up
Love tells Ash that if she doesn’t confess her love and keeps it all bottled up inside, that Love will turn into a demon
At Halamshiral in the gardens outside where they are staying, Ash confesses to everything and Cullen has realized that he’s more afraid for her than of her. They agree to try getting back together. It works well!
Love sacrifices herself in the final battle, but there’s a piece of her in Ash’s heart that remains and regrows over the years
Quote from @briannarogers: “and like she IS hot, so hot, but also her tits aren't her whole personality. Do people know how much she cares about her loved ones? How much thought she puts into their well-being even at her own expense? That her sass is a mix of shield and personality, and also which came first??”
Ash is the kind to use sass and sex as a shield, and she does enjoy those things, but they are meaningless to her without that deeper connection—which she also won’t let herself have. She struggles with Love, because the spirit doesn’t understand why she won’t let herself have the love that she feels.
Her relationship with her sister Rae, is also very important to her character. They are often at odds, bickering and all that, but at the core of their relationship is this very deep bond. Ash practically raised Rae after their parents' murder, but Rae just wants Ash to be her sister, not her shield, and Rae has a really hard time articulating that, grumpy curmudgeon that she is.
Kalian (Kal) Tabris - Before leaving to search for the Cure
Hair: Chestnut brown, usually in a loose braid.
Skin: Brown, and scars over her right eye from the Archdemon during the battle of Denerim
Mouth: Gap tooth on the left side
Class: Rogue - dual daggers
Family: Shianni, Soris, and her father, she is very close with them and stays in regular contact—until she leaves to search for a cure.
Personality: Sweet, often flirty without realizing it, but fiercely protective, and willing to get her hands dirty if it means the people she loves will be safe.
Born in Denerim, Kalian was raised as a city-dwelling elf alongside her cousins Shianni and Soris. Her mother died when she was young, and her dad took care of her, with the help of their alienage community. When she came of age, she was arranged to marry a boy from a good family, though their wedding was interrupted by a noble's son - Vaughn -who kidnapped both brides set to be married and Shianni, who had stood up for her cousin. When Kalian woke up in the noble's house, she, along with Soris, who had come to rescue her, fought their way to Shianni. On the way, they discovered that Kalian's fiancé had been killed in the rescue attempt. When they got to Shianni, she had already been raped by Vaughn and his lackeys. Kalian killed them all.
Duncan intervened before she could be tried for murder and recruited her to the Grey Wardens. During the events of Origins, Kalian became the leader of the group set to defeat the Blight. She became best friends with Leliana, and would remain in contact with the lay sister even after the Blight was over. Alistair, who’d been by her side with Ostagar, fell in love with her, and she with him. But, he hesitated, believing she had feelings for Zevran instead. Eventually, they figure out their mutual feelings and declare their love. Kalian does not harden Alistair, nor does she make him King. Together, they stopped the Blight, and Kalian received the role of Warden-Commander of Ferelden.
In the years following, she filled the Wardens' ranks and kept the darkspawn at bay. Alistair and Kalian got married, and for a time, they were happy. Until the Calling came for her, and she left in search of a cure, leaving behind the man she loved. When word came that Alistair had perished in the Fade, Kalian descended into grief, losing pieces of herself to both the Calling and her sorrow, until there was nothing left but the rotting shell of the woman she once was.
Kalian - After searching for the cure
(apologies for the vastly different format, but I had this prepared for another thing I was doing, and it has all the info needed!)
TW: kinda gross? Decaying body.
Appearance: The Warden is small and slim in stature, her once tanned skin now ashen and grey. She wears a worn, dark blue cloak to cover rusted Grey Warden armour. Bandages cover her from the neck to the flat bridge of her nose. A scar cuts through one rummy white eye, but the other eye is a pale brown, like chocolate that has been left out for too long. When the hood of her cloak is pulled back, little wisps of white hair sprout from her scalp, and her pointed ears are nicked and missing pieces. If her bandages were to be unwrapped, her shrivelled lips and missing teeth would only be the first sign of how extensive her decay is. Her jaw hangs on with little more than sinew, moments from ripping if not held on.
When her gloves are off, which is rarely, a gold wedding band rests on her left ring finger, though the skin beneath and around it has long since sloughed off, leaving little more than bone.
Personality: The Warden's inability to speak renders her more of a passive observer in most conversations than an active participant, but when encouraged to use her writing tools around pleasant company, ghosts of her sharp wit and friendly attitude resurface. One gets the sense that she used to be quite talkative before the Blight stole her ability to speak. Her memory of her younger years is murky at best, and as such, she becomes withdrawn if asked, as this deeply bothers her. She typically spends her free time being sullen and gloomy, her body constantly in pain, and her mind working against her. But still, she persists. She hasn't come this far just to give up now, and she will find a cure for the Blight or die trying. Though she is broody, she does not snap or bite. Instead, she takes a quieter, withdrawn approach, fading into the background.
Yet beneath all that doom and gloom is a kind person who will go out of her way to ensure that others have what they need. She will provide coin to any beggar, give stray cats pieces of her food, and is more than willing to put her body on the line to protect innocents.
She does not want to see anyone from her past, her current state of decay embarrassing to her. She does not remember her name or who she was, besides some scattered bits and pieces and goes by "The Warden" or “Lady.” (Whatever your preference is)
TW: Pretty severe child abuse, brief mentions of domestic abuse, maternal death
Hair: White, usually in front of her face
Skin: Pale, corpse-like. Lots of scars, mostly over her back from a belt or cane. She also has scars around her neck, wrists, and ankles from wearing shackles for many years.
Mouth: Slits through her cheeks, sharp teeth, and an unhingeable jaw
Nose: no nose bridge and two slits for nostrils
Class: Rogue - dual daggers
Personality: Prickly, gruff, doesn’t talk much, uses as few words as she can. The grumpy of the grumpyxsunshine trope. Life is hard, and she got harder to match. Will not open up unless under duress. But she is clearly sweet on Alistair, even though she will deny it if anyone implies (she doesn’t want to make him uncomfortable). slaps her back like I’m slapping a car You can fit a lot of self-hatred in this baby. Can’t read or write. Loves cats.
Born sometime around 20 years before the 5th Blight, Rowan was raised by Chantry Sisters in a small town outside of Denerim. According to the Sisters, her mother became blighted by unknown origins days before she was set to give birth. She managed to make it through her labour, but succumbed to the Blight before she could hold her baby. The Chantry took Rowan in, but her deformed visage revolted them, and her constant night terrors led to multiple failed exorcisms. When she was old enough, her room became the cellar, the shackles on her wrists, neck, and ankles a permanent adornment. She was locked away for any perceived bad behaviour and often physically punished. She was not allowed to learn or play with the other children, and thus could never read or write, but she could recite the entire Chant. When she was out of her cellar, she was forced to wear a bridle, and often made to do unsavoury chores.
Until one night, Lilas, one of the other orphans—curious and unafraid—snuck into the cellar and befriended her. She was a mousy girl, but tenacious and brazen, and though Rowan was wary of her, she was quickly drawn in by the girl’s kindness. Lilas gave Rowan her name, after one of the dragons in her favourite book. Lilas received several punishments for seeking out Rowan, but she would not be stopped. Several years later, however, Lilas came to Rowan in a rush, having stolen the keys to her cell with the intention of running away together. Lilas had just discovered she was a mage, and she would be locked away from Rowan forever if anyone found out. The two ran away together, but Rowan had received a beating earlier that day, and due to a series of very unfortunate events, Rowan’s blood fell into a small cut on Lilas’s leg, tainting her. Lilas died in Rowan’s arms the next morning, and Rowan blamed herself for it all.
Not knowing what else to do, Rowan buried Lilas and ran. She lived in the wilderness for some time, but it became too difficult, and she headed for the city. Now, this part I haven’t really sorted out, but essentially, she was trained by a brothel owner to be a bodyguard, as mortals are naturally put off by her—sensing the taint, so she’s very effective in warding people off without too much violence. She stayed there for several years until the 5th Blight, when she decided to leave to find out more about her origins, and maybe a way to cure her of the Blight.
She joins the crew in Redcliffe when Darcy Tabris - the one day Hero of Ferelden - wins her over. It helps that he has a companion who immediately endears himself to her, not that she’d ever tell him that. Darcy is easy to get along with, a charming, often silly guy with far too much charisma than is good for him, and is very outgoing. He eventually romances Zevran. Rowan gets closer with the crew, much to her chagrin, and after her face is revealed when she returns to her town, Alistair confesses his feelings, and they kiss. Yippee! But, due to reasons I’m still working out, she leaves after he is crowned King, believing that staying with him would make his rule unstable if anyone found out what she was. She stays away for ten years, during which the Blight—as she’s nearing thirty years old—is killing her. She ends up with the inquisition, and goes with them to Redcliffe to help them sneak in, as she knows the way, and surprise, surprise! Alistair shows up, and they have a dramatic reunion that ends with him bringing her back to Denerim with him. Now, here I struggle to find a good, plausible reason that she lives until they can find a cure. Originally, I had written that Anders shows up and is offered shelter in exchange for keeping her asleep, but alive, but I don’t love it so I’ll be changing that.
When she’s all healed—though her physical deformities are still there—she becomes the King’s mistress and they live happily ever after.
